The Best Books I Read in 2007

1. The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
   The dialogue in this book is the best I've ever read. I liked this book better than The Amazing Adventures of Cavlier & Clay for which Chabon won the Pulitzer.
2. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
   Widely acknowledged as the first mystery novel. Collins was a contemporary of Dickens. Although you wonder if he got paid by the word (which he probably did because this book first came out as a serial), it's still riveting. After reading it, I realize how many other books reference it.
3. The Female of the Species - Joyce Carol Oates
   I read this book around Halloween which was the perfect time of year because these stories are spooky.
4. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
   A fantastic first novel! I cleared my calendar for the weekend to finish it.
5. English Creek - Ivan Doig
   I met Ivan Doig at Wordstock a few years ago and he was one of the nicest, most gracious people I've ever met. I never thought I'd love a story of the West the way I loved this book. I'm glad it's the first in a trilogy because you come to care about the characters as if they were your own family.
6. The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall
   I don't know why this book wasn't a best seller. It's totally unique and a fascinating ride of a story.
7. Jose Builds a Woman - Jan Baross
   Jan is a friend of a good friend and she asked me to help her market this book. I was leery at first because I've worked with authors who had an overblown estimation of their own work but this book really is good and deserves to be read.
8. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
   This book has everything! A mystery, a love story and a book store.
9. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
   Wow. I bow down to Atwood's greatness. This book could have been very depressing in less capable hands but the narrator's sense of humor balances out the seriousness of the content.